Since moving to Savannah 20 years ago, Ann Carroll often heard how much adults needed to be involved to help improve our local public schools.

But with a full-time job and without having children, it was difficult to see a way to pitch in.

Enter In2Books, an innovative eMentoring program that connects caring adults with students grades 3-5 to enhance their reading, thinking and writing skills by reading books and exchanging online letters about the books.

Savannah is the largest implementation of In2Books nationwide.

Carroll is one of more than 800 pen pals involved in the Savannah chapter since it started here two years ago.

The program pairs volunteer pen pals like Carroll with Savannah-Chatham public elementary school students.

Over the course of the school year, the students and their pen pals read five books together, exchanging six letters. The letters reinforce writing skills and foster a conversation that facilitates a greater understanding of each book.

This upcoming school year will be Carroll’s third as a volunteer pen pal.

“It is such a simple way to give back to our school system,” said Carroll, director of business development at Hancock Askew & Co. LLP. “I get the books through our Live Oak Public Library and read them and correspond with a child in the Chatham County School system through a secure email platform. I can do it anytime, from any computer that has access to the web.”

You can help improve schools

The concept is simple: Use technology to connect students with adult mentors who are willing to help classroom teachers.

Children involved in the program through their schools get free books that they can take home and share. The subject of the books correlates to what the students are already learning in the classroom.

The students then communicate in writing with an adult who is interested in what they think about the books.

“There are many books to choose from so you don’t have to worry about getting a book that you don’t like,” said Maya Neal, 12, a rising seventh-grader at Charles Ellis Montessori Academy in Savannah.

Maya was one of 194 students who participated in In2Books at Charles Ellis in nine classes last year. This was the largest group represented by a school in the Savannah-Chatham school district.

Maya said she learned a lot from the program and from her pen pal, who she said had an intriguing job as a local attorney.

“It was interesting that even though you are reading the same book, you both can have different perspectives on it,” Maya said.

Volunteers needed

In2Books is looking for approximately 260 more pen pals for the 2011-2012 school year in the Savannah-Chatham County public school system. To sign up to be a pen pal, go to in2books.com. Select and/or write in Savannah for geography.

Volunteers undergo criminal background checks. All correspondence via the e-mentoring program is reviewed by a teacher before it’s sent to or from students to ensure safety.

The local public school system doesn’t pay for In2Books, although the district does provide infrastructure support.

In2Books in Savannah is funded through a combination of local and national funding.

Trent Kissinger, In2Books lead teacher at Charles Ellis, said the program is an ideal way to emphasize writing skills in schools that have lost writing programs due to budget cuts.

Kissinger said at the beginning of the year some students struggled with how to write a formal email to their pen pals.

“But by the end of the year, they knew the concept of writing a formal letter,” said Kissinger.

Carroll said she, too, saw a huge difference between the letters she received at the start of the year and those she received toward the end of the year.

“I really felt like the program was making a difference. That’s a good feeling.”